


Marked

by AlmondRose



Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: M/M, Soulmate AU, althernate universe, sorta - Freeform, this is shorter than intended but its one in the morning and I don't even care anymore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-09
Updated: 2016-05-09
Packaged: 2018-06-07 09:00:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6797620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlmondRose/pseuds/AlmondRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bruce used to have one silver Mark. Now he has so many more.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Marked

**Author's Note:**

> so this is a kinda weird au thing I made up?? So basically people can Mark people, which comes up as a stripe of a certain color around their right wrist, and on their left wrist is a tally of how many people you've Marked. For instance, if Bruce Marks Dick, Dick will have a black stripe around his right wrist and Bruce will have a tally mark on his left wrist. 
> 
> Marks mean that the person is family of the other person, and so there's like a minor bond between the Marker and the Markee. A Mark can fade if you "disown" the person or if you die. 
> 
> Marking is a mental process that is painless to everyone. 
> 
> The Mark colors are:
> 
> Bruce-black  
> Alfred-silver  
> Dick-light blue  
> Barbara-yellow  
> Jason-red  
> Cass-navy blue  
> Tim-green  
> Steph-eggplant  
> Damian-dark gold  
> Clark-Superman blue

Bruce spent most of his young adult life with a single silver stripe around his right wrist and a single black tally on his left. Sometimes he looked at them and remembered when he had red and white stripes there as well. More often than not, he tried not to remember. He was mostly content with his one silver stripe, and seeing Alfred with his one black stripe around his wrist. 

 

But then there was Dick Grayson. And it was heartbreaking to see the little boy look at his wrist, as if wishing to see the stripes of his parents still there. Dick developed a habit of running his hand up and down his right wrist, as if searching for something that isn’t there. 

 

After Dick became Robin, after they’ve lived together for a while, Bruce sat him down and asked if it would be okay to Mark each other. And Dick nodded enthusiastically and said that he’d like that very much. So Bruce had two stripes. One silver, one light blue. Two straight little tallies on his other wrist. When Bruce sees Dick the next day, the kid has a silver stripe around his wrist, too, and Alfred probably has a blue one, although Bruce can’t tell because of the suit sleeves. 

 

Alfred Marked Jason after the first week Jason was at the Manor. Jason Marked him back a few weeks later. Jason became Robin, and the night after the first patrol, Bruce took off his gloves and he had a third stripe, a red one. And Bruce Marked him back before he knew what he was doing. 

 

Dick was angry there was a new Robin, but he looked at the red stripe on Bruce’s arm, and he understood. Dick knew Bruce better than anyone except Alfred. Dick sighed and after two missions together, Jason had a light blue stripe over his black one. It took a longer time for Dick to get a red stripe over the orange one Starfire gave him, but he did eventually. 

 

He never Marked Talia al Ghul before she left him. Her brown stripe didn’t leave his arm for a long time after she left. 

 

The Joker beat Jason to death, and the red stripe faded from Bruce, Dick, and Alfred’s arms and Bruce swore not to ever Mark anyone again. His Mark was extended to Dick and Alfred. That was his family. 

 

Cassandra Cain waltzed into his life with no tallies or stripes. She gets Marked by the Batfamily very quickly, and Marks everyone back in return. 

 

Tim Drake wormed his way into Bruce’s heart, and Bruce almost Marked him. Almost. Then Tim was gone--grounded, of all things--and Bruce did not Mark Stephanie. He had a purple--sorry,  _ eggplant-- _ Mark from the very beginning of her Robin run. He fired her, she “died”, her Mark faded from his arm, and he Marked Tim. 

 

Bruce had a little rainbow up his arm--silver, blue, brown, navy, green. Dick’s was black, silver, yellow, navy,  green, eggplant. His orange from Starfire had long faded. Tim had black, light blue, silver, eggplant, Superman yellow, navy. Alfred alone probably still had red in his. Jason didn’t seem to hold a grudge against him. One day Jason was hurt, and dragged to the Batcave for medical attention, and his shirt had to be removed, and there was a whole impressive rainbow--black, silver, light blue, navy, eggplant, even green. His other wrist had no tallies. He has Marked nobody. He didn’t think of anyone as family. 

 

Damian was dropped on his doorstep with brown and green stripes. The next day there was an additional black, light blue, navy, and silver. He briefly had Tim’s green, but it faded quickly.  The week after he had an eggplant stripe. Damian didn’t Mark anyone, even Bruce. He had no tallies on his left wrist, not even for Talia and Ra’s. 

 

Dick once compared the tension between Tim and Damian to the tension between Bruce and Stephanie. Bruce spluttered at the metaphor and Dick shrugged and told him it was true. 

 

Somehow, Bruce became closer to the Justice League, to Superman in particular. He goes from a teammate, to a friend, to a best friend, to them Marking each other. Bruce didn’t tell Clark off one day when Clark called him his best friend. The next day, Bruce had a Superman blue stripe on his arm. He stared at it for a long while, then went about his day. The next time he and Superman went on a mission together, Superman saved his life. Clark pulled him to safety and Bruce thanked him. Then he Marked him, right then in the middle of the field. He had seven tallies on his left wrist. 

 

One day, Bruce was in the kitchen eating breakfast when Damian came down stairs. His son was wearing a short sleeved shirt, and Bruce saw his left wrist. There were three tallies there. Bruce immediately tried to discover who is son had Marked. Sure, Marking was supposed to be personal, but Bruce knew that Damian no had weaknesses. He needed to know who they were. The first he discovered instantly, since Dick called him up to ask if Damian had parked everyone. Dick laughed awkwardly when Bruce told him no, then he hung up. Bruce found the second when he couldn’t find Damian one morning. He tracked him down and finally found him in Stephanie Brown’s apartment. He knocked on her door and she answered. His eyes immediately flew to the dark gold stripe on the top of her pale pink, silver, green, yellow, navy, light blue, lavender, rainbow up her arm. He took Damian home and wondered when they’d become close enough for Marking. It took him longer to find Damian’s third Markee. Colin Wilkes was rarely spoken about, rarely seen with Damian, so when Bruce finally met him, he saw the Mark instantly. 

 

Somehow Clark and Bruce were kissing, then falling into bed together, then Bruce woke up the next morning and the Superman Blue stripe seemed to be tingling, and Bruce looked at it, and it was wider than the others, but it wasn’t at the top anymore. No, he had a dark gold stripe, above the blue, almost at his elbow. He looked at his rainbow. Silver, light blue, brown, navy, green, Superman Blue, gold. Alfred, Dick, Talia, Cass, Tim, Clark,  _ Damian _ .

  
He wouldn’t ever be Marked by Stephanie, he thought. He wouldn’t Mark her. Diana might, someday. He wouldn't be surprised if the Joker Marked him. But one day, he took of his suit, and there was a red stripe, above the gold one. He stared at it. And he laughed. 

**Author's Note:**

> Clark has been Marked by Martha, Johnathon, Lex (but he hasn't Marked Lex), Lois, Kara, Connor, and Bruce
> 
> please comment!!


End file.
